Culture: Arts and Cultural Values

Haiti's uniqueness is reflected in the originality of its paintings, music, and literature. Artists and musicians, drawing from the rich folklife and vitality of the people, have created internationally-recognized works and sounds. Haitian paintings of the "naive" or "primitive" school have long been recognized around the world; works by more famous artists have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States and France. Handicrafts such as wood carvings and tapestries also employ this primitive style. Haitian music, like Haiti itself, is an original blend, containing elements of African drum rhythms and European dance music.

Haiti has also produced writers, poets, and essayists of international standing. Haitian literature has been written almost exclusively in French; however, with the recognition of Creole as an official language, novels, poems, and plays are being written increasingly in Creole. In 1975, the first novel to be written entirely in Haitian Creole was published; Dézafi by Frankétienne poetically depicts Haitian life.

The expressiveness of the Haitian people is evident in their rich oral tradition, which includes storytelling, proverbs, riddles, songs and games. Storytelling in Haiti is a performance art. The storyteller uses a different voice for each character in the story, and may sing songs as part of the narrative.

Many Haitian values are similar to traditional, conservative American values. Haitians value community cooperation and usually have close extended-family ties. Many are religious and have a strong work ethic as well as a deep respect for authority and societal laws. Education is particulary important, since it is a means of social mobility.

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